6 Easy Ways to Increase Your Spa Client’s Average Spend.

First off, let’s be clear about what I mean by ‘Client’s Average Spend’? Well, it just means the average amount of money each client spends in your salon or spa at each visit.

A 2-second tuition on how to measure this is to take a look at how many visits to your salon you had over the past month (If the same client visited 2 or 3 times, these are counted as individual visits). Next look at your gross revenue from services over that same month and divide it by the number of client visits to your salon. It looks something like this…

680 unique visits over the month of January divided into the gross revenue for service sales of $40018 = $58.85 Average Client Spend for services.

You can do the same for retail sales. 680 unique visits (all visitors and not just those who purchased retail) over the month of January divided into the gross revenue for retail sales of $5610 = $8.25 Average Client Spend for retail.

Add these 2 figures together and you have the Total Average Client Spend of $67.10. Voila!

Why do you need to know these figures first? Because unless you know what your starting point is, you won’t know whether or not your strategies are working positively for your business. So, start to record these figures straight away so you can monitor your progress.

Salon and Spa Services

So, let’s take a look at some worthwhile strategies for increasing your Average Client Spend for services.

1. Get into the habit of researching the client’s past service history during the appointment process (easy to do if you’re computerised). Look for treatments she may have had in the past, but hasn’t asked for. This provides an opportunity to offer your client the chance to book for the extra service that she didn’t mention. It might be something small like a brow shape or lash tint with her facial, or an underarm wax with her leg wax. Often the client actually does want these services but simply forgets to ask for them and then you’re left either not being able to fit them in or squeezing them in and keeping your next client waiting. Neither option is ideal for customer satisfaction.

2. Suggest suitable extras to the client at the time of the booking that she may not have experienced before. Nearly all services have other services that would enhance their outcome, but unless the client is offered these, she is often not even aware of their existence. Things that come to mind would be perhaps an LED treatment as an extra with her facial, gel polish with her pedicure, or even a brow tint with her lash tint. The list of extra options is only limited by your imagination. Get brainstorming on your list.

3. Suggest a more advanced treatment to the client. Instead of booking your client in for her usual $85 facial, why not introduce her to your $105 facial by talking about the additional benefits. What about IPL hair removal instead of waxing or sugaring? Perhaps your client would appreciate a hot stone massage instead of the regular massage she’s always had in the past. If there’s a more advanced treatment, make sure to tell your client about it and what the additional benefits to her would be.

Salon and Spa Retail

Retail is conservatively 2-3 times more profitable to your salon than services for the same amount of time invested. You need to tap into this little profit gem to boost your revenue.

4. The best time to sell an additional product is when the client agrees to buy the first one. Explain how the two (or three or four) products work synergistically to boost the results. Never make assumptions about what your client can afford to purchase. That’s her decision to make. Your job is to introduce her to the products that will help her reach her desired outcome.

5. The best way to sell the first product is to pinpoint what the client’s biggest problem is through asking good questions and suggest something that will provide a solution. Whether it’s a cream for ingrown hairs during waxing, a heel balm that the client can use between pedis, or a serum to boost her collagen levels, you hold the key to your client’s happiness. If you don’t suggest a solution, your clients will go looking for it elsewhere.

6. Tempt your clients to buy that little extra item with a first-class impulse purchase display right on your front counter. Make it something everyone would love to have and keep it affordable. These two things will ensure your clients spends that bit extra as she’s paying her bill.

And there you have it. 6 super-easy ways to get your clients to spend a little more money each time they’re in your salon.

You may not realise how profitable this simple strategy can be right now, but if you get just an extra $10 from each client, it could result in tens of thousands of extra dollars in revenue each year for your salon or spa.

Pam is an industry experienced coach, past salon owner, speaker, author and copywriter. She works beside salon and spa owners to show them how to effectively grow their profits and remain in business for the long-term.